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The Killing of Renee Good Should Change How We Talk About ICE

4 2
09.01.2026

I want to be clear about what happened in Minneapolis.

This was not an “ICE shooting.”

This was not a “law enforcement incident.”

This was the killing of Renee Good.

Renee Good was killed under a Trump administration that expanded ICE’s authority and encouraged aggressive enforcement nationwide.

Words matter. When we soften them, we make it easier to look away.

Renee Good was killed during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in Minneapolis, not far from where George Floyd was murdered on May 25, 2020. Many people in this city recognize what happens after state violence occurs. We have seen how language is used to slow things down and move attention elsewhere.

As I write this, ICE activity continues across Minneapolis. American citizens were picked up and detained at a local Target. Less than two miles from where Renee Good was killed, ICE agents detained two staff members at Roosevelt High School in South Minneapolis, where I went to school. Shortly after, the school went into lockdown. The library across the street closed. Schools across the city were closed for the rest of the week.

These actions affect far more than the individuals detained. They interrupt schools, workplaces, and daily life. They place entire neighborhoods in a state of fear.

Wednesday night, we went to the vigil for Renee Good. We stood on ice and snow where she had been killed........

© Common Dreams